SANDY, Utah — Rio Tinto Stadium, the home of Major League Soccer’s Real Salt Lake as well as the USL Real Monarchs, today announced a partnership with Auric Solar to install the State of Utah’s largest privately-owned solar array at the world-class Sandy venue.

Rio Tinto Stadium’s 2,020-kilowatt system of solar panels installed on existing stadium structure as well as new covered parking areas nearby will offset 73 percent of Real Salt Lake’s total annual stadium power needs – the largest offset in North American professional sports. The ambitious project expected to be completed in six months, and operational in October 2015.

“We are partnering with Auric Solar to increase our power efficiency while hosting more than 50 massive events each year in Sandy,” said RSL and Monarchs Owner Dell Loy Hansen. “The new solar covered parking structures will improve the quality of parking options for our 15,000+ season ticket holders and provide our state and the surrounding environment with the largest solar energy offset for any U.S. professional sports venue.”

The environmental impact of the new solar array carries the equivalent of removing 450 cars from the road, or planting 47,278 trees annually.